One popular spot is the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve – where there is an abundance of options. “Bring your bikes, bring your boats, bring your fishing rods,” said Andy Soltvedt from Anoka County Parks. “You can get out and explore hundreds of miles of trails here in Anoka County.” You can also camp.
“The campground is really nice,” said Shannon Christensen of Brainerd, who stayed at Rice Creek recently with her family.
From cabins to RV’s to tents. Rice Creek is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
“Lot of private sites, lot of things to do,” Christensen said. “Walking, biking, kayaking, swimming, fishing.”
No hassle factor
The Rice Creek campground is located between I-35E and I-35W. Yet it seems miles away from the hassle factor of the sprawling Twin Cities metropolis.
“Things are rolling along,” said Soltvedt. “Very busy campground…You can come here and camp and have that remote getaway and still head downtown for a Twins game in the same evening.”
Rice Creek has an up north vibe, where campers can find peace and serenity.
“We really make a conscious effort to try to make the campground as natural as possible,” Soltvedt said. “So you have a little bit of privacy from your neighbor, you’re not sitting in an open field, you’re really out here in nature, and you can have that quiet experience that you’d have in some of the more remote parks that you’d have in northern Minnesota or in those national park experiences.”
Campers come from near and far
Some campers at Rice Creek come from places close to Anoka County, others come from places that are a couple time zones away.
“We get people from all over the country,” Soltvedt said. “We even get people that are coming down from Canada. It’s a great word of mouth thing. I think that spreads mostly for us when they talk to their friends. They talk to other people and campgrounds and say ‘hey, come on by and and see what Anoka County has to offer.’ So it’s been great to see so many diverse visitors in our campgrounds.”
Said Christensen: “I think it’s a great spot.”
Rice Creek reminds Christensen of being in the north woods – except they are close to a major metro area.
“Yes, absolutely,” Christensen said. “We were just commenting on it last night. We were sitting by the fire and just listening to all the birds and everything. And it just felt like we were up north, for sure. We ran to Eden Prairie yesterday to meet my daughter and it took 40 minutes.”
The lakefront beach is another perk that appeals to campers at Rice Creek.
“I think that was a really nice area,” Christensen said.
The combination of puffy white clouds, a royal blue sky, emerald green trees and a natural lake can have a medicinal effect on visitors to Rice Creek.
“It’s the best healing that you can get,” said Soltvedt. “It’s hard to have a bad day when you’re sitting out here with 60 degrees and a breeze and sunny weather. So it’s great to be able to get outside and hear the birds and the frogs and the crickets while you’re trying to fall asleep.”
The Rice Creek campground has 80 sites with seclusion and shade. The facility also has two camper cabins.
